Strayed

NOTE: Here is my second full-length "Manitou Island"  erotic story. (The first would be the in-progress "Leaves Falling.") This story came about from me wanting to pair the star-crossed Justin Dupries and Red Bird together, yet not knowing how. You see, both are already in permanent relationships...and while Justin strikes me as fully willing to leave behind his wife Little Dove should he be able to gain his long-beloved Red Bird, Red Bird, on the other hand, would NEVER betray her beloved Tal Natha (the Dreamspinner). Toss in the added complication of Justin's two young children, and you have plenty of reasons why such a pairing would never be able to happen. Yet I was still very intrigued in getting it to happen somehow. Well, I came up with this idea...and managed to pull it off, without compromising the personality of either of the characters--both still hold true to form. I pounded out this (15,000+ word) story in three days, BTW, sometimes typing for as long as two hours at a stretch. I don't know why--I really, REALLY wanted to let this one out. o_o;

I'm STILL not positive if this story actually takes place in the existing storyline--I'm hesitant to think the otherwise decent Justin could be such a louse to poor Little Dove--but this is about as real as anything that's going to happen between the two. Also, on the good side, I think this story may have finally laid to rest all the trouble I've had convincing Justin to...well, read it and you'll find out.

(In real life I would have NO sympathy for somebody who acts like Justin in this story...but then again this is certainly not real life. :P )

A FEW BIRDS scattered up into the air, disappearing into the dense treetops. The noises had startled them away from their feeding places, but the noise that they made as they flew away went unnoticed. A loud rustling came from the undergrowth, the grass shaking, and the sound of quick, heavy panting was interspersed every so often with a whimper or a guttural groan. The sunlight barely filtered down through the leaves to speckle the ground below.

A small space had been smoothed out upon the ground, and it was here that the woman knelt, her fingers digging into the soil and her chest heaving. She gasped and rocked in motion with the man who held onto her hips, straddling her and pushing into her from behind. He breathed heavily, his eyes shut and his head tilted back as he moved. He spoke aloud, unable to contain his lust.

"Red Bird...oh...oh God, Red Bird...oh God...oh yes...oh, God..."

Justin Dupries gritted his teeth, clenching the soft hips that quivered before him. He trembled wildly in ecstasy, the tight smoothness of his lover's cleft filling him with a joy such as he'd never imagined possible. He heard her whimper softly and brought himself forward to lean over her, running his hands up her body, their sweat making them both slick in the midday heat. He groaned under his breath and squeezed her breasts, hearing her gasp, feeling her tighten. She tossed back her head, her mane of red hair falling over her bared shoulders. She stared skyward with her eyes shut and shook beneath him.

"Justin...oh Justin..."

Her whispering his name inflamed him. He ground his teeth and grunted, buttocks contracting. He could not believe that she was here with him, finally with him, at last...it seemed far too good to be true. And some dim part of his mind insisted that it must be...he knew she was loyal to the Dreamspinner, his rival, and always would be...yet she walked just like Red Bird, and talked just like her, and knew him just as Red Bird knew him, and acted in exactly the same way...except that now she had turned to him out of desire. He wasn't completely certain why. By now, he no longer cared. If Tal Natha himself had come to him and demanded her back, he would have fought him to the death, demon or no demon. She was with him now, and that was all that mattered. He didn't care to know why anymore. Just as long as she was his, and he could be with her...

He slid his hands back down to her hips, running them under her to tangle in the soft hair between her legs. She tightened and cried out. He panted harshly, unable to control himself.

"Red Bird," he whispered heavily. "My God, Red Bird..."

"Justin..." Her voice was faint and trembling. He wanted to scream her name out for the forest to hear, yet was able to exercise just that tiny bit of restraint; instead he pressed himself to her more closely and ground his hips into her, letting out a deep grunt. She arched and cried out again, her own voice husky from strain and desire. The sound sent jolts of pleasure through him.

He caressed the wet, swollen lips between her legs, rocking back and forth, back and forth.

"Red Bird...oh Red Bird...yes...oh, yes...ah, God...please...oh God...sweet Red Bird...God, yes...oh God, yes...yes...oh, God, please..."

She cried softly. Justin felt his seed surging inside him, getting ready to come, and groaned, wishing they could make love forever. She felt so good around him, beneath him, with him--he wanted nothing more than to stay beside her forever. Still, everything had to end; yet at least they had enjoyed their time here, beneath the trees.

Red Bird tightened and cried out. Justin knelt upright, abruptly grabbing her hips and tossing back his head with a yell--"Oh, Red Bird--!"--as his hips spasmed, his fluid spurting inside her. She sobbed and trembled at the feeling; Justin knelt with his head still thrown back and his chest heaving, a look of pure rapture upon his face. She had felt every bit as good as he had ever dreamed she would, and more.

After a moment or so she began to sink beneath him, whimpering softly. His tensed muscles relaxed and he carefully pulled himself out of her, taking her by the waist and turning her over before she could collapse. They both lay down upon the ground together, side by side, panting heavily in the stillness, nothing but the breeze fanning overhead. The few flecks of sunlight danced over their bared skin, copper and white. They lay naked within the woods and turned their heads to look at each other, tired but satisfied smiles coming to their faces. Justin reached out his hand to touch Red Bird's cheek and she shut her eyes, nestling against him. He put his arm around her and drew her close.

He smiled at her gently as he ran his hand through her long red hair. Their clothes lay around them, scattered where they had been left, slightly stained with the sweat of their first fumbling need. He placed his mouth against the hollow of her throat and kissed her there, loving the way she sighed and shivered.

"I cannot tell you," he murmured against her skin. "I cannot tell you how happy you've made me, Pretty Bird...to come and be with me."

She shivered again. "You've made me happy as well, Monsieur Justin," she murmured in reply.

He lifted his head to look at her, into her beautiful dark eyes, and ran his fingers along her jaw. Her smile was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. "How long I wished for this to happen--for us to be together--yet it could never be so..." He faltered, and his smile dimmed just a bit. "...Some part of me says that it cannot be so. It is too perfect, like a dream..."

She cupped his head closer to hers and kissed him. He tasted her tongue, sweet against his own, and had to suppress a moan. Everything about her was absolutely perfect. "This is real, Lord Justin," she whispered, and he could even catch the sweet scent of her breath against his face. He pulled his head back to look her up and down, from her small feet and slender legs, to the soft patch of red fluff between them, to her smooth belly and her small but perfect breasts, to her delicate neck and her beautiful face. He could have lost himself in her eyes. Her smile made his heart want to catch on fire. "All of this is real. He would never bring you a dream such as this..."

This comment at last jostled him just slightly out of his haze, and Justin's smile dimmed and then disappeared. He slowly pushed himself up, Red Bird following suit. She furrowed her brow at him.

"Lord Justin...?"

"We will have to go back," he said, his voice distant. He looked at their rumpled clothing, scattered upon the ground and the nearby bushes, and ran a hand through his hair.

"Back--?"

"Back to Little Dove." He felt a sharp pang in his breast at the mention of his wife's name, and at last got to his feet, reaching for his undergarments and pants. Red Bird watched him as he started to clumsily dress, holding one arm across her breasts as if shy of being seen, though the look on her face was more puzzled than anything. He cast her a glance as he quickly tossed on his shirt, then pulled his pants up around his hips, sliding his belt through the loops.

"You will return to him...?"

Red Bird stared at him a moment, then flushed and dropped her gaze. He hated the look that passed across her face. "Yes," she said softly, and reluctantly reached for her dress and leggings. She put them on more slowly than he did, keeping her eyes lowered the entire time. "He will grow suspicious, if I do not..."

"You do not have to go back to him," Justin said. A voice in the back of his head asked him what he was saying, but once the words were out, he couldn't stop them. She looked at him and he had to continue, no matter how insane it sounded. "You can come with me. You never need to go back to him again."

"He'll be angry," Red Bird said.

"I'll protect you. I can change into a demon as well. I know that I could fight him off if he came for you. I'd risk anything for you. Just come back with me."

She got a look that plainly said he must not be thinking straight, and even before she spoke he felt the heat creep up in his face.

"What about Little Dove?" she stated. "And your children?"

Justin blinked, then averted his own eyes. He focused instead on doing up his shirt, hating just as much the shame that crept up inside him. Little Dove. He'd...forgotten about her. And about Page, and Fleur...his son and his daughter. Even now they must be at home, waiting for him, when he had met Red Bird in the woods and...this had happened.

He had not even loved Little Dove when he'd married her...though he'd hoped the union might drive away his incessant thoughts of the one he could never have. Yet it hadn't. The birth of his son, and then his little daughter, had not stopped the thoughts from coming either. He'd resigned himself to simply always having the thoughts, yet never having any fear of the chance to act on them...but that had been before today...

He does not know I am here, Red Bird had said, when they'd met. If he finds out, he will be angry...yet I had to let you know how I truly feel...how I have always felt for you, Justin...

"What of your own family?" he murmured, trying to keep the twinge of spite out of his voice. He saw that she heard it anyway, and berated himself mentally for making her feel guilty. She slowly worked on the ties of her dress.

"He will be waiting for me..."

"And your pups? What do you think they would feel about this?"

She blushed. "I am not telling them! Do I expect you to go home and tell your children of this--?"

"I ask only if they should find out. I'll tell no one. I promise this." He looked at her. "I would never endanger you, Little Bird. Not for anything in the world."

She paused, as if judging his sincerity, before finishing with the ties. "I believe you," she said quietly. "But I do not know what they would feel. Part of me...part of me says they would not care, too much, because this is just the way they have always been...but Tal Natha..."

Justin's eyes grew hard. "Don't speak of him," he said; when she looked up at him, he added, "And I will not speak of Little Dove. They do not exist...while we are here. Just you and me. This is all that matters."

He couldn't meet her curious stare as he poked his foot around for his socks and shoes, still trying to loop his belt. She rose silently to her feet and came toward him as he threaded it through the hoops at his waist, and started when she touched him. The ends of the belt fell from his hands and he blinked at her.

"Red Bird--?"

She reached up to cup his face, and kissed him. Her free hand slid down his belly. Justin felt his senses light up like a roaring fire springing to life inside him. He opened his mouth to tell her he was heading back home...that what they had done should end now, and never be spoken of again...perhaps in time they would both grow to become used to their separate fates. Instead of speaking he felt her tongue against his.

A moment or so later, he had backed her against a tree, his pants bunching down around his knees and his buttocks contracting rapidly, Red Bird's breasts heaving and his hands clutching her own buttocks tightly as he thrust at her hard, the tree shaking and the woods again echoing with their frantic noises of lust, Little Dove and Tal Natha once again forgotten.

"Unh! Unh! Red Bird! Unh! Oh God, Red Bird! Oh God! Unh! Oh yes, God yes--ah! Ah! Unh! Unh! Unh...!"

* * * * *

Little Dove awaited him at home with a smile. She kissed him lightly on the cheek when he ascended the porch steps, and asked how his day had gone. He had to avert his eyes, his face burning with guilt. He had not had the chance to bring home any game. His wife plucked at his sleeve, cheerily remarked how great of a chase he must have gone on to get himself so mussed and sweaty, and turned back to the door. He stared at the wooden slats of the porch as he followed her. Little thudding sounds came, and he looked up in time to see Page and Fleur launch themselves at him. He had to drop his gun and catch them in his arms before they could topple him over. As soon as he held them, his guilt temporarily vanished, and he beamed at them, holding them on his arms as he went into the house, their rapid chatter distracting him from his thoughts. Only the sight of Little Dove making her way up the stairs again reminded him of what had just happened, and he felt his face flush. The two chattering children were too busy to notice.

That night they sat in the parlor and talked, ate dinner in the dining hall, played about in the yard, bathed and dressed for bed, and went to their rooms just as they did any other night. And a little after nightfall, when the house had fallen silent, Little Dove and Justin made love, his wife arching her neck and gasping softly as he moved slowly atop her. His body shivered at her touch, at the faint whisper of her voice, yet the entire time his eyes were closed, up until the moment he grunted softly and finished, he saw Red Bird beneath him.

The next morning was the same as any other had been before he met her. He kept away from the woods as much as he could, not certain what he would find if he made his way to that place. Perhaps it had been a dream after all...Tal Natha, tormenting him with what he could never have. He grew resentful thinking about this. But perhaps it was for the best. He allowed his feelings of guilt to fade as he went into town to trade for goods, rather than go hunting. The day passed as any other would have passed.

He returned home, and found Little Dove busy with her sewing, his mother patiently instructing her as she had many times before. There were still a few more hours before nightfall. He took his gun and went into the woods, taking in a deep breath of the cooling air as he departed. He looked up into the treetops. He had never noticed how beautiful they were.

He found his feet straying toward the spot deep in the woods where he had met her. Where she had come to him, and told him of how she'd felt. Where they had... He slowed his step, biting the inside of his mouth. He hadn't meant to come here...yet now that he had...he might as well make certain it had been just a dream. By now, he was just about positive it was. Red Bird would never betray her Tal Natha...

Not long after, Justin stood at the edge of the little clearing in the woods, grasping his gun so tightly that his knuckles went white, staring down at the small flattened patch of grass and soil. He could even see and smell where their fluids had leaked into the soft earth. At the very edge, two footprints, one his own, one hers.

Justin ducked his head, his ears again growing hot. His breath picked up until he was nearly gasping, his heart thudding. It had been real. She'd been here.

The grass and leaves rustled and his head jerked up with a gasp. He brought his gun down from his shoulder to aim it into the trees, ready to pull the trigger before he even saw what approached. As soon as he saw Red Bird's meek face and hesitant eyes, he let out his breath in a whoosh, lowering the gun, eyes wide.

"You came back," she said, softly.

Justin lowered the gun until its long barrel touched the ground. "You came back," he echoed, not quite able to believe it. There was a very long silence, and then he saw a smile start to come to her face, shy and uncertain, yet hopeful. He blinked; she stepped toward him, her eyes welcoming, happy. He had never seen such love.

It was not long at all before they were hastily tugging at each other's clothes, mouths biting and sucking as they struggled to pull her dress off over her head, and his pants down over his hips.

It was not long before they were both naked, bodies pressed to one another as they hungrily kissed and caressed.

And it was not too long before Red Bird stood with her breasts mashed to a tree, her arms encircling it and her legs spread wide, Justin clutching her hips and groaning feverishly as he pushed deeply up into her. Their heads hung back, mouths open with sheer joy at the feeling of each other. Red Bird's moan went on and on as she rotated her hips against the tree. Justin groaned and heatedly called out her name, trembling in wild ecstasy. Nothing had ever, ever felt better, in his entire life, than being inside her, so deeply inside her, and feeling her warmth against him.

"Oh my God, Red Bird!" he cried, voice husky with strain. "Oh my God, yes! Oh yes! Oh, my God!"

Their passion was such that they did not last long, before she wailed out loud, and before he tightened and spurted, their bodies growing slick. It did not matter. They preoccupied themselves thereafter by kissing and fondling, and Justin dropped his head back and moaned in pleasure as Red Bird gently sucked at his shaft, rubbing her hand up and down against his sac. He leaned back against the tree, shifting his hips slowly, running his hands through her hair as she mouthed him.

"Red Bird," he whispered. She stroked his hip. "I love you, Red Bird...I'll always love you..."

Her tongue swirled over his tip and he tightened with a small groan. She pulled away just as he released, and so rather than finishing in her mouth, he jerked and spattered in her face, Red Bird gasping and holding up her hands as his seed splashed against her cheek and hair. Justin sat up immediately.

"Oh God!" He awkwardly pulled his legs toward him, which was difficult considering his pants were still bunched around his ankles. He hastily wiped at Red Bird's face, his own face flushing as he tried to rub the fluid from her hair. "I'm sorry, Red Bird...I didn't mean it."

"I am sorry," she said a little meekly, lowering her eyes as he tried to dry her off. "I shouldn't have moved..."

"I could have waited. I'm sorry I did that." He frowned and drew his hand back. "I..." His face went even redder. "I don't think I can get it all out."

"I could visit one of the springs and wash it out there..."

"There is one not too far from here! I'll show you." He staggered to his feet, reaching down for his pants; he noticed how she just briefly glanced at him, and the tiny twitch that tugged at her mouth, before she discreetly turned away. He felt the warmth in his ears but the glance made his breast want to swell. She found him attractive. It wasn't surprising, but the feeling still intoxicated him, after all of these years spent thinking she would never have anything to do with him.

"It's a little bit to the east of here," he murmured as he pulled up his pants and did up his belt, Red Bird smoothing down her dress. "I'll show you."

They walked in a somewhat awkward silence, dusk beginning to settle around them. Justin rubbed at the back of his neck. His family would be settling down for dinner by now, without him. He missed dinner on occasion...but never for this reason. If he stayed out too much later, Little Dove would begin to worry.

He glanced at Red Bird as they walked. She stared down at the trail, occasionally running her fingers through her hair. He turned to look at the trail as well.

"Why did you come to me, Red Bird?" he asked softly after a while had passed. She lifted her head to look at him, though he didn't meet her eyes. "After all this time...I told you long ago how I felt. If you've felt the same way...then why did you never tell me? Why come to me now?"

She lowered her head again. "I...I am not certain why now. It just...felt as if it had been long enough. I could not tell you before, because of him. I knew him before I knew you. We were...we were already together, by then. I was already his mate."

Justin couldn't quite keep the angry look from flitting across his face. "You are not his mate. You are your own person. He cannot own you or even claim you. You should give yourself to whom you truly wish to be with."

"And this is why I am here now." She looked at him, eyes glimmering. "Are you angry with me for never telling you?"

He paused, then sighed and shook his head. "I can never be angry with you for this, Red Bird. I know you felt obligated to him...for taking you away from that lake. Still..."

"If he had not approached me," Red Bird said, "then I would still be living with my father. Our father. You know how he is, Lord Justin. The chances are...if I were still in the lake, I would be the mate of my father by now." Justin's ears burned but she continued talking. "But he took me away from there. For that, I will always be grateful. And I did wish to be his mate. I...I loved him, and I still do. But it is the way you love Little Dove...at least, I think it is the same. I cannot say how you feel. But I feel I should still remain with him. Even though, I have since fallen in love with another, even more. He will always be the first, but you are the one I love the most. I've known this since I first saw you. Many times with Tal Natha, I thought of you."

Justin's muscles tensed. "Of me--?"

She nodded. "When he takes me...in a certain way...I can imagine I am with you instead. Even when he...takes me in such a way that..." She blushed. "I can still imagine he is you, only you have changed your shape..."

"I've done the same," Justin admitted; when she looked at him he glanced at the trail. "With Little Dove...I see your face. I hear your voice...I do not will it to happen, but it does. I wish you were always near." His voice hardened. "I wish we had known each other sooner. Before all of this. I wish I did not have to feel as if I am forced to creep about just to be with you."

"This is for the best," Red Bird insisted. She touched his arm. "At least...until things change," she said, and he looked at her again with a frown. Her large eyes reflected the dying light.

"Perhaps, someday," she offered. "When...if things are ever different. Perhaps, someday, we can be together." She pulled her hand away. "But until then..."

A trickling noise caught their attention, and Justin let out his breath. "Here it is," he said, feeling relieved for the appearance of the little spring before them. He had no idea what else he would have been able to say to her.

They stepped out of the heavy underbrush and into the little clearing around the tiny spring, its water bubbling up from the ground. Justin stood and watched as Red Bird knelt down before it and dipped her hands into the little pool, splashing the water over her head, then tipping her head forward and running her wet hands through her hair. He sighed and looked up at the sky. It had grown darker.

"Thank you," she said after a moment or two spent thus. He looked at her and she continued washing her hair. "For coming with me," she said softly.

Justin paused, then shifted his gaze toward the treeline. "I have to be returning home soon," he murmured.

Red Bird's hands stopped moving. "Do you think she knows...?"

He shook his head. "No...though I do not know for how much longer."

Red Bird slowly sat up, her long hair dripping over her shoulders. She held up one hand and he looked at it. She offered him the tiniest smile.

"There is still a little daylight left...before I am needed..."

Justin flushed. "They are already waiting, back at my home..."

"I know...yet it is just a little time...please, help me wash out my hair? It will not take too long...I promise..."

Justin stared at her as she peered up at him with her large dark eyes, her hair hanging wet and damp around her face, and at last sighed and set his gun aside, stooping down and reaching for the tangles in her hair.

For the next hour or so, the woods fell into darkness and silence but for the crickets, and the splashing of the water in the tiny spring as the two bodies lurched in an awkward rhythm, the water soaking through their clothes and dampening their skin. Red Bird cupped Justin's buttocks through his pants and leaned back into the water, eyes shut tight, urging him into her, deeper, deeper; Justin gritted his teeth and grunted, again, and again, thrusting fully, shivering with desire. Their feet dug into the mud as they heaved at each other, moaning loudly into the darkening air.

Justin's and Red Bird's hoarse cries of eventual climax echoed down the bluff, for a moment making even the crickets fall silent, as if listening.

* * * * *

Little Dove noticed the look upon his face this time. Her brow knit with worry over the way he averted his eyes, and the state of his clothing was worse than it had been the day before. He was grateful the children were already in bed as he made his way up the stairs to their bedroom, his wife following behind.

"What happened...?" she asked, her voice concerned. He gritted his teeth. Why did she merely sound concerned? When the stink of sweat and seed was still upon him, and he could not even meet her eyes...why did she not raise her voice, or begin accusing him?

Do I want her to accuse me...?

"I fell," he muttered as he reached the landing at the top of the steps. "Into one of the springs. I was tracking something back in there...a quail, or some other bird...I never even got a good look at it..."

I was tracking some sort of Bird...although I did get a very good look...

Little Dove made her way around him, looking him up and down. For the briefest moment he expected her to at last see what had really happened, and begin upbraiding him...but she merely took hold of his arm and tugged on it, stepping forward.

"You're soaking wet! The nights aren't so warm anymore, Husband...you'll catch a cold this way! This is two days without any game. You must not be feeling yourself." She smiled at him, and the look made him want to turn his gun on himself. "I'll run a bath for you."

He wanted to tell her not to, yet no words would come. Instead he stood near the doorway and watched as she carried buckets of hot water to the little tub and poured them in, one after another, until it was filled to the brim; then he continued standing, mutely, as she pulled at his clothes, removing them and folding them into a pile and setting them on a stool. She took his arm and led him toward the tub, and held onto his elbow as he climbed in, as if he could barely walk on his own. He sat back in the steaming water and watched for a while as she scrubbed his clothes in a basin and wrung them out, laying them out on the floor.

"I'll hang them when you're done," she said lightly. "They should be dry by tomorrow. You need to clean yourself up, if you ever wish to track any game without frightening it off!"

She turned to him with a small cloth in her hand and smiled. Justin looked up at her as she came his way, kneeling down beside him and starting to scrub at him, as he'd made no move to do so. He sat and endured this for a while, as she worked over his shoulders and arms and neck, rubbing hot water over his back, and then his chest. She even hummed cheerily under her breath, as if such chores were nothing at all. He didn't understand why she continued to put up with him.

Little Dove dunked the cloth in the by-now foggy water, and reached up to squeeze it out over his chest again. She gasped when Justin grasped her by the wrist and the cloth fell from her fingers with a small splash. She lifted her head to look at him, eyes wide with surprise.

"Husband...?"

After the briefest pause Justin sat up, his other hand going around to clamp onto the back of her neck. Little Dove gasped again and opened her mouth to cry out before she landed atop him with a great splash, water surging out and spattering over the floor. She sputtered and flailed for a moment, kicking and swinging her arms against him, before he crushed his mouth to hers, his tongue darting inside to meet her own. He felt her stiffen, then she murmured in seeming protest, striking her balled fists against his chest. He let go of her arm to slip his hand up beneath her skirts, dragging down the top of her pantalets. He pressed his fingers into the soft hair between her legs, feeling the tight lips there.

Little Dove at last managed to draw her head away from him with a sharp gasp, strands of long hair flying from her bun and her eyes round with shock. They flashed at him and she bared her teeth, clamping her legs together.

"Justin!" Her voice came out sharp, furious; she rarely ever called him by his name. "What are you doing--!"

He responded by pulling her back down toward him again, one hand clamped over the back of her head so she couldn't pull away, the other questing between her legs. His wife murmured loudly into his mouth, unable to pull back, and started hitting him again, squirming and splashing more of the water out of the tub. She struggled against him wildly as he yanked her pantalets down, tearing through the wet fabric so it bunched at her knees. He sucked at her lips, ignoring the sting when she bit his tongue, her eyes shut tight and a muffled squealing noise escaping her. His breath came fast in his throat as he prodded his fingers at her, then shifted his position in the tub, splashing his feet out of the water. His penis stood hard and erect already; he sucked in a breath when she at last managed to free her mouth from his own, her squealing breaking off into an enraged cry.

"What are you doing?" she yelled. "Have you gone out of your head--?"

Justin panted heavily and slid his hand up to grasp hold of her buttocks. Little Dove's mouth flew open and she cried out in surprise, then clamped one hand over the slippery edge of the tub, fighting against him. He saw fear enter her eyes, but continued pulling her down toward him, breath spurting between his teeth.

"Justin!" Little Dove cried. She flailed her legs and struck at his chest as he dragged her into the water with him. "No! Stop it, Justin! Stop it!"

He snaked his other hand back to clutch hold of her other buttock, separating them; Little Dove let out a shriek when he jammed her down onto him, his shaft pushing up as deep inside of her as it could go. His wife gasped and jerked against him; he brought his hand up once more to clasp her head to his, kissing her, while he squeezed her in behind and began rotating his hips. She lurched atop him and more water splashed out onto the already sopping floor. After a tense moment he felt her body go slack, and she sagged down atop him, her weight pressing him back into the tub. His kiss ran over her neck, nuzzling at her throat. He bunched his buttocks, pressing in and out. In and out. He let out a low, murmured groan.

Little Dove shook. For a moment he thought she was crying, until he felt the way she tensed, her thighs trembling, and saw the way she tilted her head back, eyes shut again. Her long dark hair dangled from the remains of its bun, forming limp tendrils around her face. Her breasts heaved beneath her soaked clothing, and he could see her nipples, peaking hard against the fabric. Rather than hit him she clutched at him now, shifting her own hips in rhythm.

"Justin," she whispered, bobbing upon him. "Justin..."

Justin stared into her face a moment more, then lay down as straight in the tub as he could, gripping his wife's buttocks and urging himself into her quickly, letting out a long husky groan at the air, her trembling whimper rising along with it as the two of them made love in the tub.

Their lovemaking did not end in the water. Justin's lust was insatiable. After their shared climax, he lifted her from the bathtub and carried her from the room. Still dripping, they made their way to their bed. Little Dove laughed softly as he laid her down upon the quilts, stripped off her clothing, and climbed atop her, showering her with kisses. She rubbed at him, stroking his firm behind and back as he pressed his hips against her, again, and again, attempting to grow hard. It did not take long. She arched and moaned and then sighed when her husband began coupling with her again, grunting softly with each push. She smiled up at him and ran her leg along his own as he panted heavily, his eyes shut tight in concentration. And she pressed her head back into the pillows and let out her breath, trembling anew when his groans grew long and loud, his thighs quivering. Justin gripped her hips and plowed deep, tipping his head back and shivering with joy at the feel of her.

He dropped his head forward again, feeling her breath upon his face, and whispered her name.

"Red Bird..."

Little Dove gasped and stiffened, eyes opening. She stared up into his face, but by now he was already climaxing, shaking and loosing himself inside her, too far gone in his pleasure to even notice what he had said. His wife lay beneath him silently as he released, and then sank down to the bed in great exhaustion, drifting into sleep.

* * * * *

The furtive meetings in the woods continued. Justin found he could not keep himself away; the thought of being away from Red Bird for over a day always weighed so heavily on his mind that he could not stand it lest he go mad. He tried to go at different times...yet she always seemed to know when he would be there. He didn't care how she knew. Her need was evidently as great as his. Every day, the two of them spent making love, sometimes slowly and tenderly, other times with wild abandon. They tried to keep to different spots every day, as well, lest they end up caught, and so upon one day, they mated within one of the many small caves littering the Island; another, they made love near another of the springs; and upon yet another, they coupled in the middle of the great field near the far side of the Island, the tall grass rustling around them and the clear blue sky vaulting overhead as Justin shouted out in his rapture. He never grew tired of the feel of her. She was perfect. Every bit of her was absolutely perfect.

He didn't even notice by now the looks Little Dove gave him every day he departed, the sadness and preoccupation in her eyes, as if she wished to say something to him, yet never did. Whenever he turned to look at her more closely, she merely smiled, kissed him upon the cheek, and let him go. Most nights when he returned, he made love to her as well, being away from his beloved Red Bird stirring the lust up inside him. Little Dove never complained, nor refused him. He was too far off in his own world to notice how passive and subdued she was now as they coupled, but to him it did not matter. The thought of seeking out Red Bird the next day filled him with enough hope to make it through the nights.

Their boldness was such that upon one day, he allowed her to see him in his demon form, and he saw her in hers. His glowing eyes raked over her beautiful white-furred body. He had first learned of her pairing with Tal Natha when he had spotted her in this form, mating with the large black wolf demon within the water. The sight had both excited and angered him, in that he was not the one with her. Now, however, they were together at last, and they licked at each other's muzzle, nipping and jumping in circles, tails flicking excitedly. They stopped to nuzzle at each other, and flared their wings, before she crouched low to the ground and he heavily mounted her, grunting hard and fast. She quivered and panted, claws digging into the ground. The feeling was far too good to enjoy slowly. In their transformed state they mated rapidly, Justin hurling himself at her until she tightened and whimpered, then he sprayed deep inside her, letting out his breath in relief. She felt so good in her demon form, yet he had always loved her most as human.

The hours without her grew excruciating, and even the company of Little Dove, or his children, began to pale. Every so often, he crept from his bed at night, and sought her out yet a second time. She was always waiting. He didn't know how she knew. He didn't care. Perhaps she was as needy as he was.

Pale moonlight filtered down through the branches. The waves crashed against the shore far below; Justin knelt among the trees, head tilted back slightly and his hands tangling in Red Bird's hair. His pants were undone, his hardness protruding from the open fly; Red Bird tangled her fingers in the curly hair there, sucking slowly. He loved the feel of her tongue almost as much as the feel of her body, and so when she was done wetting him, he gently turned her about, his breath coming soft but quick, and pulled up her dress in back. He fondled her buttocks.

"Oh my God, Red Bird," he groaned. "Oh my God..."

"Justin," she whimpered.

He edged closer to her and ran his fingers over her wetness, up and down, up and down. She tightened and whined, then relaxed. Justin squeezed her soft skin.

"Red Bird," he panted huskily. "Red Bird...oh my God. I want you so badly..."

"Please, Justin..." Her voice begged.

"Oh my God." He gritted his teeth, clutched her buttocks. His voice dropped to a thick whisper. "Red Bird...sweet Red Bird. I'm going to come into you...from behind." He ran his fingers up over the tight knot of her anus, feeling her tremble. His breath came fast. "Right here...I want to come into you. Please let me come into you...please. Please let me in..."

She shook, her body tight, then slowly relaxed. Her muscles loosened and he carefully pressed the tip of his finger inside her. She tightened again, but just briefly; he fingered her, testing her readiness, before drawing his hand away and moving his hips forward. He slid his hands down, splaying her in front.

"Red Bird," he whispered. "Sweet Red Bird."

"My Justin," she whimpered. He pressed the tip of his penis against her. Another tightening, then relaxing. Justin's throbbing shaft slowly slid up into Red Bird's anus, her fingers clawing into the ground and her body thrumming like a bowstring as he filled her up, their hips finally meeting and his head falling back in pure ecstasy. They stayed locked to each other thus for a brief, delirious moment, before he slowly slid back, his lover letting out her breath; then he leaned over her and clasped his arms around her waist, resting his head against her own, and began to gently thrust.

"Oh my God," he sobbed tearlessly. "Oh my God...oh God. Oh Red Bird...oh yes. I love you. Oh my God...I love you. Oh, dear God...dear God, yes...dear God..."

He stroked his hands up and down her body, still clothed in her dress; he tweaked her breasts, wishing she were naked. He licked the back of her neck, tasting the salt of her sweat. He relished the way she tightened and gasped with each slow push, and relaxed as he pulled back. She was tight, back here, but the sensation only increased his pleasure, making him want to scream out at the treetops. He moaned instead, rubbing her thighs, wanting so badly to plunge into her hard yet not wanting to hurt her. Perhaps some other night...when she was more used to this. He would take her again, and again, as many times as was needed, and one day, he would be able to take her however he wished, and they would enjoy it so much...

Red Bird whimpered, and he realized he had begun to push harder than he'd intended. He forced himself to slow down and go more easily, her own saliva slickening his way. He shuddered, nuzzling at her neck. He loved the feel of her, the taste of her, the smell of her. He prayed that she loved him too.

"Red Bird..." he groaned beneath his breath.

"J-Justin..." Her voice was faint, trembling. "I...I l-love you...Justin..."

He grunted. Red Bird stiffened and let out a soft cry when his searing heat flooded inside her. Justin let out his breath, wishing he could have lasted longer...but perhaps they could stay here longer, before he would be missed...Little Dove had been sleeping soundly, when he'd left her...

They knelt panting for a long while, too tired even to move. After a time Red Bird lifted her head and shook a little. Justin gently grasped her buttocks and pulled himself out. She sighed and sank to the ground; he looped his arms beneath hers, bringing her up to him and clasping her to his chest. They held one another close in silence. He sucked in the scent of her damp hair.

"My beautiful Bird," he whispered, stroking her face.

She slipped her hand down to lightly take hold of his flaccid penis, running her cool fingers over its length. "Sweet Justin," she murmured.

He kissed her ear. "I don't know what I would do without you, anymore...I go mad when you are not here. I wish so badly that we had met sooner..."

She sighed again, nestling her head under his chin. "We can be with each other now...this is all that truly matters." She lifted her head to look up at him, and a faint smile came to her face. Justin lifted his hand to brush back a stray strand of hair from her eyes and she pressed her cheek to his palm, her expression adoring. He groaned inside. Why had she not come to him before Little Dove...? Why had he ever accepted Little Dove as his wife? Red Bird was the only one he could ever truly love, this way...

She sucked in her breath sharply. Justin opened his eyes to look at her and saw that her eyes had gone wide, fearful. He stared at her in alarm.

"Red Bird--?"

She trembled, just slightly. She was staring over his shoulder. Frowning, he slowly turned his head to see what she was looking at. As soon as he noticed it, he felt his skin prickle, his fists tightening.

A large shadow stood in the undergrowth several yards behind him. The moonlight illuminated only the deep red of feathers and the glint of sweeping horns. He did not need any light to make out the red and green eyes glowing in the midst of the shadow, eyes which were staring at him. The creature's wings rustled and it lifted its head; he could at last see the long narrow muzzle, the coal black fur covering its body.

Justin turned to look at Red Bird, and then realized what position they were in. He still knelt with his pants open, Red Bird's hand upon his crotch. Their mussed clothing and hair made it obvious what they had been doing, as well as the thick scent in the air.

Red Bird started trembling again. "It...it is..."

Justin clasped her hand, pulling it away from his shaft and gripping it in his own at the same time. He turned once more to face the watching demon and reached for his gun. He lifted it in his free hand and stood, Red Bird darting a glance up at him as he did so. The demon's gaze followed him and it sat up at its full height as well. They stared at each other across the small space, Justin's stare silently challenging. He held his ground, muscles tensed, ready to transform, or use his gun, or fight with his bare hands to the death if need be.

The silence seemed to draw out forever. Finally, Tal Natha's ear flicked; his eyes shifted to look at Red Bird, and the expression there was one Justin couldn't read; the demon kept his thoughts carefully guarded. Then he looked at Justin again...and then turned and slipped away into the trees. The grass rustled behind him, until he vanished from sight.

Justin let out his breath. He stared at the place the demon had stood for a very long time, confusion starting to bubble up inside him. He knew Tal Natha. The demon was not violent, but he could be, if sufficiently provoked. He had always cared first and foremost for his mate, even at the expense of the Island. To find someone else taking her...why had he not killed him? Why had he not even raised one hand?

He heard a shuffling noise, and turned to see Red Bird hastily scrambling to her feet. She tugged her dress down, swiping her hands at it, and swept her mussed hair back. She straightened out her leggings as Justin frowned at her in confusion.

"Red Bird--?"

"I have...I have to go." She stammered, her face flushing. She began hurrying toward the edge of the woods, but he caught hold of her arm before she could flee. She whirled her head to look at him, eyes wide and frantic. He felt a surge of alarm at the panic he saw there.

He squeezed her wrist. "You don't have to return to him," he urged. "You can come with me. I'll find a way--anything--I promise."

She hesitated, just barely, as if considering; then averted her eyes and shook her head quickly. "I...I'm sorry. I have to go back. He...he'll be angry, if I do not..."

"He is already angry with you! I hate to think of what might happen to you because of me. Come back with me! I'll protect you, I promise!"

"What about Little Dove--?" She snapped this out as she pulled on her arm, trying to free herself.

Justin flushed. "I would give her up for you!" he retorted, without even thinking. She stared at him in surprise, and he only then realized exactly what he'd said. It was as he was thinking about this in disbelief that she pulled herself loose, backing toward the trees and wringing her hands.

"I...have to go," she said softly. Justin stood and stared at her, despairing. She met his eyes and he again saw the love, the gratitude, and wanted more than anything to drag her back, keep her away from that creature, keep her safe with him. "I will come back," she said then, startling him; her voice was almost a whisper, yet it carried to his ears as if it were a trumpet's blast. "If...when. When I can..." And with that, she was gone, nothing but rustling leaves left behind her.

* * * * *

Justin trudged back to his house alone. His mind felt as numb as his body as he made his way up the steps and into the house, not even bothering to keep himself quiet as he went up the stairway. He set his gun aside, changed his clothing for the second time that night, and climbed into bed, lying upon his side and staring silently across the room. After a while, he felt Little Dove place her hand upon his, and grasp it lightly; he let out an empty sigh, and closed his eyes. They did not make love.

His mind swirled in darkness for a long while before the first flickerings of a dream began to emerge from the shadows, faint and indistinct at first, then growing in clarity. Justin walked through the woods, bathed in moonlight, and in the small clearing near the bluff he came upon Red Bird. He stopped to look at her and she smiled at him, her eyes glimmering and her lips so beautiful. Her face was so very radiant. She held out her arms to him. He dropped his gun, and walked toward her without a second thought. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight, and buried his face in her hair. Her smell was strange...an earthy, woody smell...yet this did not bother him. He pulled his head back, and she still smiled, her body pressed to his.

"He cannot find us here," she promised. "We are safe...we can be with each other now."

He stared her in the eyes for a moment or two before mashing her to him again, feeling her heartbeat. "Red Bird...my sweet Little Bird," he murmured, breathing in her earthy scent.

They kissed, and then slowly began to remove each other's clothes. Gone was the frantic lust of before, the desperate need born of too little time to be together...now they had the whole night, and more, to themselves, and Justin thought nothing more of Little Dove, or of Tal Natha, as he slipped Red Bird's dress from her body. She smiled the entire time she slid his pants down his legs, and his shirt over his head. He returned her smile, joy surging up in his breast at the thought of being with her as long as he wished. He touched her face. She shut her eyes and rested her head against his hand. They stepped close again, her nipples brushing against his bared chest, the soft down between her legs meeting the coarse hair between his own. They tenderly stroked each other's buttocks, and he loved how hers trembled just slightly at his touch. He slipped his fingers between them, nuzzling at her neck.

"We have time now...?"

"We have all the time in the world. I want to feel you, so much..."

"I want to take you, so badly...again, and again...between your legs, and within your mouth..." His fingers prodded just barely against her anus. "...And within here, yet again...everywhere, everywhere that I can...I want to be inside you."

"And I want you inside me, sweet Justin...everywhere, inside me...forever, and forever." She parted her buttocks slightly, allowed his fingers to press within her, behind and in front, and the breath caught in her throat. "Just like this...just like this. Oh...sweet Justin..."

They sank to the ground. Justin trembled with need. He groaned aloud; yet Red Bird understood his desire. She knelt, as she had many times before; this was the way he most enjoyed her, the way he could reach her best, feel her the most. As he had so many times before, he stroked her wetness, this time even lowering his head to lick between her legs, tongue running over her swollen lips, his ears cherishing the quavery moan she let out. The taste of her fluids was sublime. He knelt upright again, and moved into position behind her, and gripped her hips; within moments they rocked slowly, Justin pushing into her sleek hot wetness, rolling his eyes and panting heavily. He shuddered with happiness, with joy at having her near him again, hopefully always.

"Red Bird," he moaned. "Oh God, Red Bird..."

He came within her. The gush of his fluids made them both tremble, and for the first time, he truly hoped she would get with child by him, so he could enjoy her even more...her milk-heavy breasts...her full pendulous belly...the new life which he could claim as his own...

He slipped out of her, stroking her back. She sighed. They did not wait long. He always grew hard quickly, when he was with her, and he seemed to do so even more quickly than he usually did, this time. He parted her buttocks, leaned over her, whispered thickly at her ear.

"I'm coming...I'm coming inside..."

"Justin." The barest sob.

He held her hips steady, and again eased himself oh so gently into her anus, his head slowly tipping back, tongue lolling...exquisite bliss. He slipped back, then urged himself forward. Red Bird moaned.

"Oh Justin..."

"Red Bird..." He gritted his teeth, forcing himself through her tightness. "OH, God...unh...yes. Yes, Red Bird...yes. Oh yes...ah. Oh God, yes...unh. Yes. Oh, yes. God, yes...unh. Oh God...oh God...yes. Sweet Red Bird...oh I love you...unh. Yes. God, yes...God, yes...oh, yes...unh. Oh my God, yes...oh. Sweet Bird...unh. Unh. Oh, God. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Yes! Ah! Dear God, yes...oh dear God...unh...unh...unh..."

She was so tight! So perfect! Justin shuddered wildly, unable to believe his joy. His cries grew louder, heedless of who might be listening, for he no longer cared at all. Indeed, Red Bird's moans grew louder the deeper and quicker he pushed, and he began to urge himself ever deeper, picking up his pace just slightly. He whipped his head from side to side and cried out. His hips shifted. He clutched her and groaned in sheer delight. If only this moment would last forever, and forever, and never end, not for one moment, he would make love to her forever...

Something beside him rippled. He tilted his head to the side and saw that a small waterfall had appeared. It had never been there before, yet its sudden presence didn't bother him. If anything, it brought him even more joy, as he could see Red Bird and himself within it, rocking into each other. He admired her form as she moved slowly back and forward, back and forward, with his thrusts. The way her mouth hung open, her eyes shut. The way her nipples peaked hard from her breasts, the way her fingers dug into the soil. Everything, everything about her was so absolutely perfect...

The reflection shimmered. Justin watched it hazily, not much concerned with it, so long as the real thing was still in front of him. And so he did not pay immediate attention when a new image formed in the rippling water, until he happened to open his eyes by chance, and looked right at it. And the sight made his eyes go wide in disbelief.

There he was, in the reflection, the same as before--head tilted back, glazed eyes shut, mouth tugged up into a smile, hands caressing, buttocks contracting slowly. Yet Red Bird...she was no longer there. Not in the least. Instead, the vision showed Justin tenderly caressing the furry buttocks of a large deerlike creature as he leisurely buried himself in its anus. His thighs quivered behind its long knobby hindlegs. His hands ran up its nippled belly, and he placed his head against its furry back. The young manitou he was making love to tilted her head back, her long flexible neck arching, her nostrils flaring and her large velvety ears twirling in abandon. She shivered and whistled at the air, expressing her desire...and Justin complied by gripping her tighter, gritting his teeth, and groaning loudly as he pushed far, far within. His ankles locked around the creature's hind hooves, and he tossed back his head, hips quivering at her backside. She whistled, tightening, and stomped a hoof. She tossed her head, blue eyes flaring. Her hindquarters trembled against his crotch as he emptied himself. Then she began to sink, and he draped himself over her wide back, fingering the row of little nipples along her body and sucking in her smell. Earth and wood.

"Sweet Red Bird," he murmured. "I love you...I'll always love you, sweet one."

And the manitou tilted her head and turned to look at him with adoration in her eyes...and whistled.

Justin's eyes popped open. He sat upright with a broken scream, scrabbling to tear the covers off of him. He sat in his bed, staring ahead of him and gasping for breath, the horrid image echoing in his head even as the earthy smell and the desirous whistling faded from his senses. He found himself looking across his own bedroom, the moonlight falling across the blankets; a quick glance to his side showed him Little Dove, still sleeping peacefully. He felt himself begin to tremble, and felt as if he were going to be ill.

What was that! Why would I dream something so horrid--?

He put his hands to his head and ran them through his hair, letting out a shuddery breath. Guilt. Perhaps it was the guilt he felt, creeping away from Little Dove so often. He felt she didn't even know what was happening, yet he hated the thought of hurting her. He had taken a vow to remain with her...how much did that vow mean when he was breaking it so often and so easily? He stared at his sleeping wife, a heavy feeling settling in his heart. Whenever he was with Red Bird, all thoughts of her simply fled away...yet now that he was here with her, he could barely stand to look at her, for the shame that crept over him.

He then remembered Page and Fleur--how had he ever forgotten them?--and groaned to himself, rubbing his eyes. He lay back with a pained look, keeping his eyes covered. Of course his beloved would appear in his dream like some lowly creature. He knew enough of dreams to know that this was their way, and his mind was telling him that she was not meant to be for him.

Still, every time with her had felt so right...how could his body be so wrong...?

He slept only fitfully until daylight came, when Little Dove had to rouse him from his sleep. He awoke groggily, his head pounding as if he'd drunk the night before. He dressed and ate breakfast with his family in silence, although Little Dove and his mother talked with each other, seemingly oblivious to his state, and Page and Fleur soon excused themselves to go outside and play. When the food was finished, Justine announced that she was heading down to the nearby tribe to trade for goods; she kissed him goodbye, and then he and Little Dove were the only ones left. He cast her a furtive glance and saw that she had much the same awkward look he imagined he had; they turned away from each other without speaking, and he went to fetch his gun. He had little else to do with the days; perhaps today he would actually manage to bring something home. He had somehow stopped thinking about his meetings in the woods, and was wondering where would be the best place to find some game, when he heard Little Dove speak.

"Are you going to meet her?"

The question didn't immediately register. "Who?" he asked as he checked his gun and ammunition.

Little Dove was standing in the archway to the dining hall, hands folded in front of her. "Red Bird," she said quietly.

A bolt surged through Justin. He froze where he was, his mind going blank for a brief second before he forced himself to slowly turn and see the look on her face. She met his eyes without hesitation and her own gaze didn't falter; he searched her face for anger, or jealousy, or resentment, yet saw none. She seemed to be keeping her expression as neutral as possible, and he felt a lump enter his throat, making it hard to speak.

Before he could, she averted her eyes just slightly, as if granting him privacy.

"The other night," she murmured. "You said her name."

Justin blinked. Then the memory came back like a shock--the two of them writhing in the tub, and then upon their bed, how he whispered to her, moaning her name. Only...that hadn't been her name...had he really said Red Bird? As he'd made love to his wife? His face grew hot in mortification--he couldn't have done something like that! He opened his mouth, but had no idea what to say. The look on his wife's face made it plain he had actually done just as she'd said--he'd had no reason to believe she knew, as she'd acted so normally--but now the full import of the situation finally hit him.

She...she knows! Everything!

He opened and closed his mouth, unable to speak. Little Dove raised her eyes to meet his own again and he now saw a trace of sadness there, although she managed to smile, just a little. The look made his heart feel like breaking.

Why did I ever marry her...? Why did I put her through this? Even if I...she does not deserve any of this...

"I'm going to be taking Sky and Flower over to Father's later on today," she said, and his heart almost stopped. She was taking the children with her--? Back to her old home--? He opened his mouth to protest, to beg her to think before leaving, but she had dropped her stare again. "If we are not here when you return...then that's where we will be. We should be back by nightfall." When he felt his muscles untense, mild confusion settling over him, she looked up again, slightly wary. "You will be returning...?"

Justin blinked. He let out his breath, and then nodded.

"Yes. Of course I will...I'll come back."

She stared at him a moment more, then seemed to relax just a little, and nodded. She gave her small smile, though it wasn't the same cheery sunny one that greeted him every other day, and turned away to disappear up the stairs. Justin watched her go before he was able to head out the door, his numb fingers clutching the gun and a mess of confusion warring in his head.

* * * * *

He truly did not expect to meet with Red Bird again, not so soon after she had been found out by Tal Natha. He was fairly hopeful the demon would not physically hurt her...at least, he had never been violent in such a manner before...yet thoughts of all the other things he could do to hurt her made him agonize. Even if she loved him, Justin, first and foremost, she had said she still loved her mate...and she had her own children to think of...how had he gone into this without thinking through the consequences? He rubbed at his forehead in frustration as he walked. If only he had never met her there in the woods...nor ever met her at all...then everything would be right...

If only he had been able to control himself...yet when he was with her...there was nothing that felt so wrong...

He looked down at his gun more than once, always sighing and looking away a moment later. It might have been the easy way for him, yet there would be so many still left behind. He had never taken the easy way out of things. But he had also never faced something so difficult before.

He lifted his head and took in a breath, letting it out, determined to try to shoot something today--so at least he would have something to bring Little Dove. He hated the thought of returning home emptyhanded yet again, seeing the look on her face, the look that knew he had been doing the same thing again, even if he hadn't...he didn't have the heart to defend himself even if he were innocent. He berated himself mentally. By now, he deserved to be punished for that which he hadn't even done, just because of all he had already done. It was only right. His fingers clutched the gun hard, turning white; he had to fight the urge to put it up to his head, even if he wouldn't have been able to pull the trigger. If he would not be leaving Page, and Fleur, and Little Dove behind, it would be so easy...

His eyes rose and immediately focused on those staring back at him from the trail ahead. Justin gasped and jumped, gun bumping against his shoulder. He and Red Bird stared at each other, his eyes wide in disbelief. His gun slowly lowered.

"Red Bird," he said, stupidly; then, "you're here...? He...he didn't...?"

She averted her eyes. "I do not wish to speak of him," she murmured. She wrung her hands as if nervous. "I...I wished to see you again."

"So soon?" His brow furrowed; he stepped up the trail to be closer to her, so they could keep their voices low. "He isn't watching you--?"

She shook her head. "I do not wish to speak of him now...I only want to be with you." She lifted her eyes, gave a very small smile. "I'm so glad that you came again, Lord Justin...I felt...I felt I might not see you again."

His face flushed slightly. "I felt the same of you," he said; she stepped toward him, her smile growing, and took his arm. He tensed at her touch, though he wasn't sure why. She moved close, looking up into his eyes. She reached up to touch his face. He found himself staring into her eyes as if drowning in them, then blinked and dragged his stare away from hers.

"Red Bird..."

"Sweet Justin." Her smile grew; she ran her hand down his chest. He tensed uncomfortably when he felt her slim body pressing against his, her other hand sliding down over his buttocks, squeezing them gently through his pants. His breath picked up abruptly when her fingers slipped around to his front, rubbing up and down against his hardening crotch.

"Red Bird," he whispered, his voice growing husky. "I can't..."

She loosened his fingers and his gun fell into the grass with a soft thud. She placed his now free hand upon her behind and smiled when he instinctively squeezed at her flesh. Her eyes were glazed, desirous; her breath met his face, soft and sweet. She ran her hand through his hair, over his neck.

"Dear Justin...even in one night, I missed you so much..."

She worked at the buttons on his shirt, undoing them. He opened his mouth to tell her to stop, yet her lips met his nipple and she ran her tongue over his skin, sucking lightly, and the sensation made his eyes roll back in his head. A low groan escaped his throat; her hand in his pants continued running up and down, up and down, and he squirmed his hips, feeling himself swelling.

"Oh, God," he moaned. "Oh, dear God..."

"Sweet Justin...please, make love to me today...before we must go back. Please..."

He reached his hand down to stop her motions, yet his fingers ended up twining with hers, making her stroke him faster. He gritted his teeth in frustration. With every shaky breath he told himself to push her away, to pull away from her, to go, run back home, keep away from her forever...yet his body refused to obey. He shifted his hips into her rubbing motions, ever so slightly, groaning at the sensation. He saw the faint smile flit across her face before she mouthed his other breast and slipped her other hand inside his pants to cup him, squeezing gently. Justin dropped his head back, quivering.

"Oooohhhh, my God...! Red Bird...Red Bird...!"

Little Dove...!

Just as always, no matter how hard he tried to fight it...the memory of his wife's face, and name, began to fade from his mind...all that held a place in his thoughts was Red Bird. He grasped her head in his hands and tilted it back to roughly kiss her, and felt her yield. Still groaning loudly with need, he picked her up under her arms, hastily backing her toward the trees; she gasped when she met one, Justin pulling up her dress and fumbling to unbutton his bulging pants. Red Bird held her place, panting softly and watching him with amusement and desire in her eyes; he growled in irritation that his fly was so difficult to open, now that he wanted to open it more than anything. He at last managed to draw himself out, his breath spurting fast in his throat, and Red Bird reached out to lovingly run her hand up and down his length, tangling her fingers in the thick dark nest of hair between his legs, cupping and rolling his testicles in her palm. Justin reached under her to grab hold of her buttocks and hoisted her up so she gasped, her legs spread wide; keeping her separated, he moved forward, dropping back his head and letting out a guttural yell as his penis buried itself deeply inside her. Red Bird gave a quivering cry, all her muscles tensing, before clamping her legs around his waist; Justin held onto her hips now and began to pump, rocking on the balls of his feet in tight, fluid thrusts. His buttocks contracted and released, contracted and released as he bounced urgently, not even able to lean forward and kiss or mouth at her, his lust was so overwhelming. Instead he hung his head back, muscles jerking, his mouth wide open, a series of heavy grunts escaping him as he wildly rutted between her soft welcoming thighs.

"Oh my God! Unh! Unh! Unh! Oh God! Oh God! Red Bird! Unh! Unh! Red Bird! Oh God--oh God--unh! Unh! Unh! Oh my God--dear God--dear God! Oh, dear God! Oh yes! Oh yes! Unh--unh--unh--unh--!"

"Justin!" Red Bird's voice was high pitched, needful; her fingers dug into his arms. Her hips squirmed against his own. Justin whipped his head from side to side, bucking frantically, the tree shaking hard. He gripped her tight, jammed her onto him as hard as he could, shouting at the sky.

"OH MY GOD, RED BIRD! OH DEAR GOD! YES! UNH! UNH! UNH! YES! YES! GOD, YES--!"

His tongue lolled out over his teeth as he flung himself at her in desperate abandon. He only dimly heard Red Bird's cries, felt her shudder, then lean herself forward, pressing against him, wrapping her arms around his back. He thought of taking her in behind--in the mouth--every way he could. Nothing else mattered but this feeling. He gritted his teeth in a harsh groan. He felt his lover's breath fan over his ear, making him shudder; he felt her tighten and quiver in silent laughter of joy; he felt her squeeze him, then he caught her scent, and it was strange, the scent of old wood and wet soil--

And she sucked in a breath and quivered in silent laughter again, only this time, he could swear he heard a whistle--

He jolted, even as his hips continued plunging. The dream--the manitou--

That was not a lesser creature--that was not my guilt--

Tal Natha! He is the one who spins dreams--yet he knew--he saw me with Red Bird--why would he send me a dream of her--?

Unless--that was not her--

That creature--! That was not my guilt--he was telling me--he was telling me--!

He would not leave his Red Bird to me! He was showing me the truth--!

Justin's eyes shot open and he gave a broken gasp. Red Bird continued pushing herself onto him, her eyes shut and a radiant smile upon her face as she moaned and ran her hands all over his body. Yet suddenly, all of his excitement fled him, and he shuddered in indescribable disgust. He grabbed hold of her buttocks again, this time yanking himself back; she gasped in shock, her own eyes opening, when he abruptly pulled himself out, grunting and spraying over the ground instead of inside her. He let go of her immediately, so she had to grab hold of the tree to catch her balance, her dress still pushed up past her hips; when she lifted her head to look at him in confusion, all he could do was bare his teeth in a hateful grimace, backing away from her as quickly as he could. He stopped only to hurriedly fumble to tuck himself back into his pants, buttoning the fly as quickly as his numb fingers would allow; then he reached out to pick up his gun, having to force himself not to pull the trigger. Red Bird--whoever she was--still leaned against the tree, panting and confused.

"J-Justin--?" she said faintly.

Justin's lip curled back. He pulled his shirt closed in front and lifted the gun in a threatening manner. Her eyes grew wide.

"Justin! What are you doing--?"

"I don't know what you are," he growled, teeth still bared; his eyes flashed. "But I never want you near me again."

Hurt flickered over her face. He almost faltered--she looked exactly like Red Bird! But the earthy smell he had never noticed before, until his dream, wafted toward him again, and his hold on the gun tightened. She held out her hands in supplication.

"Justin, it's me! Red Bird!"

"You are NOT Red Bird!" Justin spat. She stared at him with those hurt eyes, but after a moment or two he saw the look in them start to change. His heart clenched in on itself and he felt like screaming in fury for being so stupid. There was no way that she could have been Red Bird! He should have known it!

She held up her hands again, despairing. "Justin..."

He lifted the gun, taking a step back. "Go back to where you came from! Whatever tree or hollow it is! I don't know why you came after me--but this is the last time. I never want to see you or touch you or even hear you again. Never! You were never Red Bird and you never will be!"

She clenched her fists and at last her eyes began to shimmer blue. She held on to her human shape, yet he could tell now that she was not human. The earthy smell increased, and when she spoke now she did so both through her mouth and in his mind. It was as if a haze drifted around them.

"Did it really matter?" she asked, voice sharp but plaintive. "I looked exactly like her--talked exactly like her--was exactly like her! I gave you everything you've ever wanted--does it really matter that I am not her? When I have made you happy, after all these years of despair?"

Justin spat on the ground. "All you have done is made me destroy the one thing that matters the most! I know how your kind is--my father commands your kind--remember? If anyone besides Red Bird could make me forget my family, it is you! But at least Red Bird would not use trickery!"

The manitou scowled. The air around her rippled, her eyes glowing.

"As if this makes what you have done any better! Your wife still waits for you to come back to her, and you still come to me instead! And you say I did not make you happy--?"

"I will confess. You made me want you--more than once." Justin scowled at her now. "And I have hurt her, more badly than I can ever hope to take back. But this is exactly why I hate you--this is something Red Bird would never do."

"You still speak of her with love in your voice." The manitou lowered her clenched fists. "You still desire her! I can give you everything she could give you, if she were only yours. Think over these past days and what you would miss! Little Dove can never give you that. Red Bird will never give you that. I am the only one! I will make you happier than you have ever been, and I will always be there when you desire me. Anything you wish for, I can give you. I can be your Red Bird. Everything you want--I could give to you."

Justin stood and stared at her in silence, the mist clinging around her hazing his mind, but not nearly enough to make him lose his focus. His eyes darkened and he lowered the gun, but the look on his face made her own eyes grow hesitant. When he spoke his voice was low, hardly a murmur, yet one full of barely suppressed rage.

"No," he said. "What I wanted was Red Bird. And Red Bird...would never betray Tal Natha. You...can never be her...and you can never give me what I truly want." With these words, he shouldered his gun and turned away, briefly catching the panicked look that flitted through the manitou's eyes before he could no longer see her. He started to walk away.

"Do not ever come near me...or my family...again. If I hear of you bothering Red Bird, or Tal Natha..." He glanced at her over his shoulder. "Then you will regret it." And he turned away again and continued up the trail.

He heard her let out a gasp, then felt the tug of her influence, wrapping around him, attempting to drag him back...yet he fought it off, and broke free of it, and did not look back at her once as he made his way home.

* * * * *

He found he could not set foot back in his own house. Not after what he had just done. Even after what Little Dove had said to him, what he'd said to her, he'd still gone back into the woods. No matter how it had turned out in the end...he had betrayed her again. And so as soon as the gables of the house became visible through the trees, and the thought of facing Little Dove came fully into his mind, he found his feet could move no further. He cringed like a whipped dog, and slunk back into the woods, feeling as if he should slither upon his belly. It would be only fitting, after all that he had done.

He wandered the trails for a long while, barely even seeing everything he passed, a dead, heavy weight sitting in his breast. The trees no longer looked quite so beautiful. The rustling of the grass, and the smell of the earth, just reminded him of what had happened, and filled him with even more shame. When he came to the edge of the bluff, he seriously considered hurling himself down it, yet he had never taken the easy way out of things. He turned and trudged back to the trail. Perhaps this was a lesson. Perhaps he deserved to live with this pain.

Night had fallen by the time the house came into view again. Again he hesitated at the edge of the woods, feeling as if his feet had been tethered to the ground, yet made himself walk forward. He slowly climbed up the steps and went inside. The house was dark and silent. He made his way upstairs, set aside his gun, changed his clothing as he always did. He wandered down the hall and peered into Page's and Fleur's room. His son and his daughter were there, sound asleep. He stared at them for a long time, before silently shutting the door and leaving them alone.

Little Dove lay asleep in the bed. Justin sat down on the edge of it and stared off into space. He couldn't even think over what had happened that day, or the day before, or the day before that, without his head and his heart beginning to hurt too much. He put his head into his hands and sat that way for a while. He bit his lip and tried to fight back the tears that started to form behind his eyelids, though he couldn't quite keep his shoulders from shaking.

The one thing that mattered the most. He had always known he could never have Red Bird...she belonged to Tal Natha. He had always resented this fact. Yet her devotion...her loyalty to her mate, despite all his best efforts to draw her attention to him instead...he found he admired that in her. As frustrating as it was for him, he had always loved the love that she herself showed, even if it would never be for him. Even more than her kindness, and her innocence, and her beauty, he had always loved that part of her the most of all.

The one thing that mattered the most...

He wiped at his eyes and considered going downstairs, leaving Little Dove in peace. He stared at his hands for a moment and hated how they shook. The one thing he loved the most in Red Bird, and it was the one thing he had never been.

He heard a slight shifting noise behind him, and then a hand touched his arm. Justin froze, then his shoulders sank again and his eyes blurred. Without looking behind him he grasped the hand and felt its fingers clasp against his own.

He shut his eyes and the tears trickled down his face. "Please forgive me," he murmured, his voice almost inaudible. He hated asking it, as he knew he never deserved it...yet Little Dove drew herself closer and rested her head against his shoulder, squeezing his arm.

"I forgive you," she said softly. As simply as that.

He at last lifted his head to look at her. The sadness from before was still in her eyes, yet she smiled at him faintly. His heart ached. He was known on the Island for his ability to heal others...why then was this the one thing he could never hope to heal? His wife's face blurred before him and he had to draw in a shaky breath. She touched his face and put her forehead to his, kissing him; he returned the gesture, hesitantly, and then wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to him tight. He squeezed his eyes shut and his tears dampened her shoulder while she stroked her hand through his hair. They remained this way for a while, Justin silently crying and Little Dove holding him to her while the moonlight shifted across the room.

* * * * *

The morning came as every other morning did. He awoke to find sunlight already streaming in the windows, and a glance toward the nearest one showed him that the leaves on the trees outside were as beautiful as they had always been. He'd simply never noticed before.

He turned his head, to find his wife still sleeping beside him. He touched her face, and she blinked her eyes open. She gave him a sleepy smile before rolling over and stretching. Justin stared at her and noticed for the first time how the sunlight gleamed off her glossy hair and coppery skin. He smiled back at her, and it felt genuine for once. She took his hand and snuggled back into the quilts, her own smile growing. Justin followed suit, and kissed her. He put his leg over her own and moved atop her. She giggled and worked at the tie on his pants. He pulled her nightdress up and she lightly ran her hand up and down him while their mouths met anew.

They were late down to the breakfast table, as they spent the next hour joined, Little Dove arching and pressing into the bed, shifting her spread legs with soft moans of pleasure, Justin gripping her waist and gently urging himself inside, shivering at her welcoming moistness. And when they were done, she even rolled herself over, keeping her knees bent at her sides, and let her husband mount her from behind and ease himself slowly into her anus, their muscles tight and their bodies trembling at the new sensation. Justin pushed very leisurely, caressing her breasts and panting, hips quivering. Little Dove whimpered and moaned his name. Justin dropped his head forward, clenching his teeth and groaning, adoring her feel and whispering what he loved most in the world at that moment.

"Oh...mmh...mmh...Little Dove...my Little Dove...ah...mmh..."

By the time he grunted softly, and released his fluid inside her, feeling her tighten and whimper beneath him, the sun was risen fully and flooding the room around them. They kissed and fondled one another as they rose from their bed. Justin smiled in rapture at the feeling of her hands cupping him, imagining her mouth around him...yet he had to settle for her tracing a droplet of seed from his tip, placing her finger to her lips, and slowly licking it off with a coy smile. He shivered and was grateful for the cool morning air when she opened a window. He smiled at her again as he went to get dressed. He knew there would be further favors awaiting at night.

They all ate together downstairs, talking and laughing as any family would. Afterward Justin arose and went to get his gun. He saw the tense look Little Dove got on her face, and was ready to tell her that she had no reason whatsoever to worry over him anymore; when Page leapt from his seat and hastened into the room, eyes hopeful.

"Papa! You promised you'd take me hunting this week...remember? May I come with you today? Please, Papa? I won't cause any trouble at all."

Justin blinked and looked up at Little Dove. Then he looked back down at his son and gave a slight smile.

"I did promise that, didn't I? All right...but you'd better get your gun, and not dawdle around or I'll leave you behind..."

Page's face lit up and he vanished, clomping up the stairs. A surreptitious look at Little Dove showed relief in her eyes, and she smiled at him, just slightly. Justine arose and took Fleur's hand, turning toward the parlor. "Come along, little Flower; we'll start working on that sewing again, and have something nice waiting for your papa when he comes home. Little Dove?"

Justin stood in the doorway and watched as the women went into the parlor. Page reappeared with his little gun, beaming widely. He dashed out the door and Justin had to force himself outside, as he'd never wanted to leave his home so little in his life.

He and Page wandered over the familiar trails, though they were not so familiar to his son, and he frequently stopped to point things out and explain things so as the boy would never get lost. Halfway through the day, they even found some game at last, and Page cheered when he brought down a rabbit, holding it up by its ears and jumping in circles. Justin had to laugh at his antics before waving at him to follow him back in the direction of home, before it should grow too dark. They made their way back along the bluff, Page chattering excitedly all the way.

More than once he ran on ahead of his father, leaving Justin to follow after him alone, though he always came running back. Justin walked along in silence after Page temporarily ran out of sight, and he looked up into the trees as he had before. They were still beautiful. There were so many things right around him that he had never appreciated before.

He lowered his head and glanced off to the side at a perpendicular trail leading away into the woods, and froze. His eyes grew and the gun almost slipped from his hands.

A shape made its way carefully through the trees, setting foot out onto the trail, glancing up at him by chance as it did so. It also fell still, lowering one small foot to the earth. Justin and Red Bird stared at each other from a distance, their eyes wide. His throat stuck, even though he wasn't certain if he would have spoken anyway. Judging by the look on her face, she must have felt the same way.

A tense moment passed, then she offered him a small smile. Justin blinked, not having expected it; then he felt a smile come to his own face. It almost hurt, he was so unused to it. His eyes blurred; he cleared them in time to see Red Bird's own smile grow, before she turned and continued across the trail, disappearing into the woods on the opposite side. He stood and stared at the place where she had stood when a rustling came and another shape emerged, moving in the same direction. Justin's smile vanished; Tal Natha turned his head to look at him. Just as before, they stared at each other; then Justin relaxed his tense pose, holding the gun loosely, and tilted his head just slightly forward. The demon's ear flicked; Justin couldn't be certain, but it looked as if he returned the gesture, before slipping away after his mate. The woods fell silent but for the singing of birds, and a few moments later the soft thudding sound of Page's feet came back up the path ahead of him, and his son appeared, still wielding the rabbit, smiling widely.

"I found some leeks! They would go good with this rabbit!" He noticed how Justin still stared off into the woods, and lowered the animal with a slight frown. "Papa...?"

Justin blinked and shook his head. He gave the trees one last glance before patting his son's shoulder, and they continued up the trail heading for home. He had never longed to be there more.

END


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